Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1887-11-16
EpMuHp RANpoLHH.
HIS Iaauencc Felt nt Every stage OF y
LioEai DsvciDpniecf-

HIS Iaausnoo Felt nt Every STAGE OF Ma
uoEai Development
At every stage OF development Of orr
nationality tho influences Of (Edni!nd)
Randolph was paramount. The Student
Of orr constitutional history, looking back
through the vista Of a century, sees in The
chain Of causes that lei 10 our Union two
links especially salient: one was the An
napolis CONVEX! ion, which convinced men
representing divergent views and interests
that they could unite for mutual aid; the
other was the consent OF Washington to
attend the Philadelphia convention, secur.
in Tor its work tie sanction of bis power
ful name. B0th Of these were primarily
due to Randolph. Two months before the
convention met Washington was firm in
his refusal 20 acknowledgements OF a pre-
vious refusal TO meet the Cincinnati" at
Philadelphia in the same month-but
yielded TO the Governors entreaties. Next
TO the name OF Washington, in the Vir-
ginia delegation, stands that of Randolph.
His republicanism, however, was of a type
for which the world was hardly ripe.
Randolph desired a Government much
like that which the present English House
of Commons would be without a monarch
or an hereditary house. The Legislature
elected by the people of the several States
was to be under the Consultation, as in
terpreted by the Judiciary-creator of all
other powers. IL was TO elect, from men
nominated by the State Legislatures, their
number proportional 10 population, a
body more permanent thaa itself, and
composed of older men. The same pOpu-
lar House was 10 elect judges for life or
good behavior; also an executive commits
sion of several persons, who, in conjunc-
tion with the judiciary, should form a
council of revision on laws,
with power to veto them I'M
less passed by an increased majority.
Randolph's Republic was thus democ-
racy subjected to successive filtrat ons.
From the ignorant OF passionate populace
to their executive hand the need of the
nation was to pass through refining criti-
cisms; that executive was not to be n
head, but a hand, with IT'S own official
fingers, obedient TO the legislative brain
controlled by the judicial independence.
Despite the pleadings of Randolph and
prayers of Franklin, the convention ac-
cepted the frame which the Virginans
had submitted through their Governor and
leader, only to establish within it a system
which the small philosophical wing re-
garded as anti-republican. Randolph's
brilliant career in the convention, could it
have been observed by the outside world,
would have filed the country with enthu-
siasm. Some of his sentences became
proverbs in the convention. "Presi-
dency is the fetus of monarchy"
Gan Executive should be independent:
therefore it should consist Of more
than one man.D 1--WE have made bold
stroke for monarchy; now we are doing
the same for aristocracv." The latter was
said on the proposal that the Executive.
if no choice were reached by tho State
electors, should be chosen 10y the Senate.
The bicameral system had been accepted
bv Randolph in the belief that a second
chamber would check "preciptate" legis-
lation. It did not occur 20 him that on
this feature the smaller States would fix
their demandfor inequality Of representa-
ton. In Randolph's Republic, as in
Franklin's, a second chamber was an
anomaly-at bost a fifth wheel to his
coach, which required only the State
LEGISLATURE, the National Legislature. the
Judiciary and the Executive. The Vice
Presidency be viewed with an appre-
hension which must have arisen
in thoughtful minds at vari-
GUS periods OF our later history.
He pleaded AGAINST the Presidents power
to pardon tho crimes in which he would he
l"'"e iiNSiy W iioi 'i'Aliult- &c t}pUotu
Executive re-eligibility until after The
Office was lodged in an individual hand /:
then he thought that a President debarred
from legal reelection might be TEMPTED
to continue his power be coup d'etdt. In
all these matters Randolph exhibited a
philOsophic insight which won the admir-
alton of Franklin, who generally voted
with him. Indeed, the clearness and force
OF Randolph's argument several times
won the convention TO bis side; bat after
such favorable votes the smaller States,
or sembmonarchical party, managed to
work on committees outside and secured
reversal of these acknowledgement
MqgdziHe.